| Azov campaigns | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofRusso-Turkish War (1686–1700) | |||||||||
 Capture of Azov byRobert Ker Porter | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Peter the Great | Unknown | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 75,000 | 7,000Janissaries (Azov garrison) | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Heavy | Heavy | ||||||||
TheAzov campaigns of 1695–1696 (Russian:Азо́вские похо́ды,romanized: Azovskiye Pokhody) were two Russianmilitary campaigns during theRusso-Turkish War of 1686–1700, led byPeter the Great and aimed at capturing theTurkishfortress ofAzov (garrison – 7,000 men) with the aim of controlling the southern mouth of theDon River gaining access to theSea of Azov and entrance to theBlack Sea. Despite stubborn resistance and heavy casualties, the Russians underGeneral Sheremetev after a failed siege in 1695 managed to capture the fort, accompanied by a naval force, in July 1696, marking the first major Russian victory against the Turks.[3]
The first Azov campaign began in the spring of 1695. Peter the Great ordered hisarmy (31,000 men and 170 guns) to advance towards Azov. The army comprised crackregiments and theDon Cossacks and was divided into three units under the command ofFranz Lefort,Patrick Gordon andAvtonom Golovin. Supplies were shipped down the Don fromVoronezh.In 1693 the Ottoman garrison of the fortress was 3,656, of whom 2,272 wereJanissaries.[4]Between June 27 and July 5 the Russians blocked Azov from land but could not control the river and prevent resupply. After two unsuccessful attacks on August 5 and September 25, thesiege was lifted on October 1.[5]
Another Russian army (120,000 men, mostlycavalry,Streltsy,UkrainianCossacks andKalmyks) under the command ofBoris Sheremetev set out for the lower reaches of theDnieper to take the Ottoman forts there. The main fort at Gazi-Kerman was taken when its powder magazine blew up, as well as Islam-Kerman, Tagan and Tavan,[6] but the Russians were not able to hold the area and withdrew most of their forces. By theTreaty of Constantinople (1700) the remaining Russians were withdrawn and the lower Dnieper was declared a demilitarized zone.
At the end of 1695, theRussians began preparing for the second Azov campaign. By the spring of 1696 they had built afleet of ships atVoronezh[7]with a view to blocking Turkish reinforcement of the garrison at Azov.[8][9] The cavalry under the command of Sheremetev (up to 70,000 men) was once again sent to the lower reaches of the Dnieper. From April 23–26 the main forces (75,000 men) under the command ofAleksei Shein started to advance towards Azov by land and water (the rivers of Voronezh andDon).Peter I and hisgalleyfleet left for Azov on May 3. On May 27 theRussian fleet (twoships-of-the-line, fourfire ships, 23 galleys and miscellaneous vessels, built at Voronezh and nearby locations) under the command of Lefort reached the sea and blocked Azov. On June 14 the Turkish fleet (23 ships with 4,000 men) appeared at the mouth of the Don. However, it left after having lost two ships incombat. The Russian forces conducted a massivebombardment from land and sea, and Ukrainian and Don Cossacks seized the externalrampart of the fortress on July 17. The Azov garrison surrendered on July 19.[10]
The Azov campaigns demonstrated the significance of having a fleet and marked the beginning of Russia's becoming amaritime power. Russia's success at Azov strengthened its positions during theKarlowitz Congress of 1698–1699 and favored the signing of theTreaty of Constantinople in 1700.AsAzov's harbor was not convenient for the military fleet, the Tsar selected another more appropriate site on July 27, 1696, on the cape Tagan-Rog (Taganrog). On September 12, 1698,Taganrog was founded there, which became the first military base of theRussian Navy.
Although the campaign was a success, it was evident toPeter I of Russia that he achieved only partial results, since his fleet was bottled up in the Sea of Azov due to Crimean and Ottoman control of theStrait of Kerch. A regular navy and specialists who could build and navigate military ships were necessary for resisting theOttoman attacks. On October 20, 1696, theBoyar Duma decreed the creation of the regularImperial Russian Navy; this date is considered to be the birthdate of theRussian Navy. The first shipbuilding program consisted of 52 vessels.
In 1697, a Russian ambassador present at theSafavid court raised an issue by handing over a note which stipulated that "Lezgi,Circassian, and other Caucasian tribesmen, ostensibly Persian subjects", had provided assistance to the Ottomans during the Azov campaigns.[11] The report also included the request to declare war on the Ottomans, as well as to repay some 300,000tomans to the Russians, which the report asserted were owed to the Tsar "since the days ofshahSafi" (r. 1629–1642).[11]
Russia was forced to give up its territorial gains fourteen years later in 1711 following Ottoman successes in thePruth River Campaign in the midst of theGreat Northern War. Russia retook the region in theRusso-Turkish War of 1735–1739 (further confirmed after theRusso-Turkish War of 1768–1774) and it remains part ofRostov Oblast today.
[...] the Admiralty [admiralteistvo] at Voronezh on the Don [...] directed the creation of the flotilla used to support the Second Azov Campaign in 1696.
[...] Peter sent to Austria and Prussia for as many engineers, sappers, miners and carpenters as money could get. He meant to build a fleet strong enough to prevent the Turkish fleet from relieving Azov. A model galley was ordered from Holland, and twenty-two copies where speedily made from it. [...] 26,000 labourers, working night and day, turned out hundreds of barks and smaller vessels. [...] by dint of working all through Lent and Holy Week, a fleet of two war-ships, twenty-three galleys, four fire-ships, and numerous smaller craft, were safely launched in the middle of April.
